Metal sheet-piling.



PATBNTED FEB. 11, 1908.

' M. w. GLUXTON. METAL SHEET PILING.

APPLICATION TILED SEPT. 10.1907.

' MANLEY W. OLUXTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

METAL srmnnrrnme.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1908.

Application filed September 10. 1907- Serial No. 392-151- To all whom itmay concern:

7 Be it known that I, MANLEY W. CLUxroN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metal Sheet-Piling;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part'ofthis specification.

This invention relates to improvements in metal sheet piling of thatcharacter in which the sections or units of the piling are made ofcommercial rolled shapes or bars, such as I-beams and the like.

The object of the invention is to provide, in combination with simpleforms of rolled metal bars, devices for affording aguiding connectionbetween the sections or units as they are driven into the ground,arranged to guide each section as it is being driven from a previouslydriven section in a generally similar manner to interlocking sheetpiling.

Thepresent invention is adapted to sheet piling designed for lighterwork, such as may be economically used in construction of sewers, forthe reinforcement of concrete structures, as dikes, foundations and thelike, where special regard need not be had to water-tight joints betweenthe several sections and where conditions do not warrant the use of themore expensive sheet piling of the interlocking type.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth" and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 is a partial side view' of a retaining wallmade of sheet piling constructed in accordance with my invention,showing the means for guiding the piling sections as they are driven andfor retaming them laterally in position after they are. in place. Fig. 2is a perspective view of one section of the sheet piling. Figs. 3 and 4are detail sections taken on lines 3--3 and 4- 1, respectively, of Fig.1.. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the guiding and retainingclips. Fig. 6 is a horizontal plan view of the segment of a circularwall made of sheet piling embodying my invention.

As shown in the drawings, 10, 10 desig nate the sections or units of thesheet piling which, as herein shown, have the yformgof commercial rolledI-beams, said beams each consisting of a central web 11 and oppositelydisposed marginal flanges 12, .12. Said sections are adapted to bedriven into the ground with the flat sides of the flanges 12 bearing oneagainst the other to form a continuous wall. 13, 13 designate guidingclips which are secured to the webs of said sections and are adapted toproject laterally therefrom over the marginal flanges 12 for engagementwith the like flanges of an adjacent section. Said clips comprise, ineach instance, two members and, when employed in connection with I-beamsections, consist each of a shank portion 14 which is adapted to fitflat against the side face of the web of the section to which it isattached and a hooked end 15 made of a shape to extend over and beyondthe marginal flange 12 of the section to which it is attached and to fitclosely the inner face of said flange. The said hook portions of saidclips are made of such dimension as to closely embrace the meetingflanges of adjacent sections, as more clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 1.

The guiding and retaining clips are fixed to the sections by means ofbolts or rivets 16,

- upper clips are attached to the upper'ends of .said sections mayextend through the usual draw opening 17 punched inthe webs of saidsections to afford means for withdrawing the sections from the earthwhen their services are no longer required. Inasmuch as the bases of thehooks bear flat against the inner faces of the flanges 12 of thesections, the attachment of said clips to the sections by a single boltor rivet in this manner will usually be all the fastening meansrequired.

In the use of the retaining and guiding clips, one of said clips,comprising the two members described, is attached to the lower end ofthe section next to be driven and projects laterally therefrom forengagement with the flanges 12 of a section which has previously beendriven. After the section has been driven into the ground a shortdistance, a second clip is attached to the upper end of the previouslydriven section with its hook portions engaged in interlocking connectionwith the abutting flanges of the two adjacent sections. It will beobserved that the said upper clips are attached to the upper ends of thesaid sections at the level of said upper end of the section after theyare driven, which is a position convenient and accessible for the readyattachment of said clips. After the upper clip has been attached to theupper end of a previously driven section in the manner indicated at theright hand side of Fig. 1, the upper and lower clips, attached one tothe driven section and one to the section being driven, constituteguides for holding the sections in proper relative position to eachother as the last section is driven into place, the guiding engagementbetween said sections increasing in distance between each other as'thedriving of the last section progresses. The lower ends of the sectionsneed not be prepared for driving by sharpening or otherwise, inasmuch asthe material is so thin as to afford a good driving point. It will beobserved that the clips are attached to the webs of the sections aboveand below the ends thereof, thus leaving the lower ends of the sectionsfree from any obstruction or hindrance to their free driving into theearth. The said clips constitute means, not only for guiding eachsection as it is driven into place, but also retaining means for holdingthe sections together after they are driven, so as to constitute anunbroken continuous wall made up from the separately driven sections.

I The connection between-the sections are of such strength as toconstitute a strong retaining or lining wall for an excavation in theearth where the earth is of such character as to impose only a moderatestress against the lining thus formed.

In Fig. 6 I have shown my invention as applied to the construction of acircular wall. In this construction the webs of the sections 18 aretransversely curved concentric to the center of said wall and themarginal flanges of said sections are disposed radially to the center ofthe wall. The construction shown in said Fig. 6 is designed to form thelining wall of a shaft which is excavated in the earth, the earthbeingremoved from the space surrounded by said piling sections after thelatter have been driven. The engagement of the flanges of the sectionsin the circular form of wall adds to the strength thereof to resistinward collapse by reason of the earthen walls.

The construction of a lining or reinforcing structure made in accordancewith my invention is exceedingly simple and inexpensive. The clipsafford means for accurately guiding the sections while being driven andholding them in close engagement with each other to prevent the leakingof the earth of the earthen walls between adjacent sections as reliablyas with interlocking sheet piling wherein the guiding engagement betweenadjacent sections extend from end to end of the piling sections. Asbefore stated the said piling may be used as the lining or retainingwall of an excavation, the piling being first driven into the earth andthe earth removed from the area surrounded by the sheet piling wall. Thepiling may also be driven into the earth to constitute a reinforcementor anchorage for a concrete structure, as a dike, the foundation ofbuildings and the like. The retaining and guiding devices herein shownmay be applied to sections made of other form than that illustrated andwill be modified as to shape to correspond to different forms of pilingsections.

I claim as my invention 1. In metal sheet piling, the combination withadjacent sections or units composed of flat webs and marginal flanges,the flanges of adjacent units bearing flat one upon the other, ofvertically narrow retaining and guiding clips attached to the webs ofsaid' sections at the upper and lower ends thereof, the clips of eachsection being formed to provide hooks that extend over and engage theflanges thereof and the flanges of adjacent sections.

2'. In metal sheet piling, the combination with adjacent sections orunits comprising flat webs and marginal flanges, the flanges of adjacentsections fitting flatone upon the other, of guiding and retaining clipsat the upper and lower ends of said sections comprising narrow shankswhich are fitted flat against and attached to the webs of the sectionsand hook portions which extend laterally over the webs of the sectionsto which they are attached and in interlocking engage ment with theflanges of adjacent sections.

3. In metal sheet piling, the combination with adjacent sections orunits composed of flat webs and marginal flanges, the flanges ofadjacent units bearing flat one upon the other, of vertically narrowretaining and guiding clips attached to the webs of said sections at theupper and lower ends thereof, the clips of each section being formed toprovide hooks that extend over and engage the flanges thereof and theflanges of adjacent sections, the clips associated with two adj acentsections being attached, one to the web of one section near the bottomthereof and the other to the web of the other section near the topthereof.

4. In metal sheet piling, the combination with adjacent sections formedof I-beams and arranged with their flanges fitting flat together, ofguiding and retaining clips comprising narrow shank portions fittingflat upon and attached to the webs of said sections, and hook portionsextending over the seems a marginal flanges thereof and intointerlockpresence of Witnesses, this 5th day of Sep- 10 inig engagementwith the mar inal flanges of tember A. D. 1907.

a jacent sections the c ips 0 two adjacent sections being attached oneto one section MANLEY U thereof near the bottom thereof and theWitnesses:

other to the other adjacent section near the HOWARD VANsooIK, topthereof. THOMAS C. JACKSON,

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as BEN F. KiMMrr,

my invention I afiix my signature in the E. JAMES FUEIK,

